Added initial foundational documents as txt

[ftg.git] / why.txt

= Why we do it. =

Most previous and contemporary free/open source projects, and free/open source “support” projects, do not take ''learning'' into account – but nevertheless, learning is a key part of what makes these projects work! Most people who “sign up” to participate in such projects want to, or have to, learn something! By supporting learning, we will make free technology better!

And: free technology as a vital economic and human adaptation for the current juncture in history.  We are not yet in an "abundance economy", but we can in our lifetimes make some important contributions to getting there.

The FTA is a good example of an organization that ''does'' emphasize learning – however, it does not currently emphasize “learning through practice”. The aim of the FTG is to support people learning through practice in free technology projects.

Other organizations that have tried to do something similar have not taken the same global approach. We are working to make it so that people aren’t “lost”, and can be brought up to speed with the skills they need to make progress using free technology; and, conversely, so that “teaching” is better incentivized among knowledgeable people working in the free technology space.

And we want to do this in a fully '''open''' way, so that the knowledge we build is accessible to all, and supports the differentiation of creative assets through interpersonal contact and confronting new ways of doing things on social and knowledge networks.  We build on a '''free as in freedom''' platform, so everyone has the freedoms to continue learning, building, innovating and has the basic rights to make a living out of his/her activities.  The economic wellbeing of the participants is essential to build an economically sustainable network of peers, so that these great ideas don't just remain "wishful thinking". 

''In short, the activities we contribute are conceived as useful projects for our own needs, or for others. We can do that to help others out of solidarity, to show what we're capable of, or in exchange for economic benefits, or a combination. And in all that we do we learn, and teach and get better every iteration.''